Bat City Bites

BATCITYBITES Fall Ezine 20 20

A look int o t he evolut ion of t he Am er ican food ind ustr y over t im e

5

local

Fusion Restaurant s On t he Rise!

Hewho does not mind his bel ly wil l har dly mind anyt hing el se.

-Sam uel Johnson

TABLE OF

Cont ent s

3

Tabl eof cont ent s

5 7

meet TheEdit or s

Top 5most popul ar fast f oods

9 13

by Br ian McGow an

Thenew waveof f ood

by Sofia Francis

Bat cit y bit es | 3

l ikeaf inewine

21

t op 5f usion r estaur ant s

23

Taxing take-out

by Connor Gr im

27

Benef it s of a pl ant based diet

29

Amer ican Food Today

by Michael Ad d ison

33

Amer ican f ood over t ime

35

6 Fun r ecipes t o easeyour bor edom

Bat cit y bit es | 4

Meet t he

Edit or s

Our m ag azine hopes t o eng ag e reader s in som e of t he coolest and m ost interest ing p ar t s of Aust in's Food Ind ustr y? lear n t he ins and out s of t he culinar y scene and w hat 's trend ing r ig ht now !

Sof iaf r ancis I'm a LASA freshm an, I've lived in Aust in m y w hole life and I love food and travel. I'm b iracial, so a lot of m y child hood has b een full of d iver se and d ifferent culinar y exper iences, and I love t o share t hem wit h ot her s!

Br ian mcgowan I am a freshm an at LASA and have no d irect sib ling s. I enjo y read ing , playing video g am es, d rawing , listening t o m usic and p ract icing m y g uitar. I am also on swim team , and I'm training t o com pete.

Bat cit y bit es | 5

Michael Addison I am a freshm an at LASA and have 3 young er sister s. I love Ult im ate Fr isb ee, playing t he saxop hone, read ing , and playing video g am es.

connor gr im I am a freshm an at LASA and t he young est of 4 wit h 2 sister s and a b rot her. I am a com pet it ive swim m er, b ut I've b een out of t he w ater for a w hile d ue t o COVID and injur ies.

Sar ah Gal l ar t I'm a freshm an at LASA. I have one young er sister w ho is 12 year s young er t han m e. I love m usic and have b een playing t he viola for ab out 4 year s. I can't w ait for you t o see our m ag azine!

Bat Cit y Bit es | 6

Top 5

By Brian M cGowan

Most popul ar fast f oods In t his w or ld of uncer taint y, you can rest assured t hat fast food will rem ain as p op ular as ever.

And w hat fast food is t he m ost p op ular ? Read on t o find out .

A sur p r ise t o no one, McDonald 's fam ous french fr ies slide int o fir st . As one of t he m ost recog nizab le sides in fast food , it s no w onder t hat it claim s t he num b er one sp ot as t he m ost p urchased fast food in t he w or ld .

1 McDonald 's claim s anot her sp ot on t he t op 5 list as t he Big Mac rocket s t o num b er 2. A ham b ur g er released b ack in 1967, as rep or ted by ABC New s, It w as m ade a t op choice for ad ult s and kid s alike, cem ent ing it s place in t he t op 5.

2 bat cit y bit es | 7

A classic kid s favor ite, t he McDonald 's Hap py Meal com pletes t he tr ifecta of Golden Arch sup rem acy. A com b inat ion of kid s food ser ved in a funny litt le car t on is ap p arent ly all you need t o b e p op ular, as t he Hap py Meal g et s 3rd .

3

4

It 's fing er lickin' g ood indeed , b ecause t he fir st non-McDonald 's entree on t his list by Eat ThisNot That is t he ever -p resent KFC Or ig inal Fr ied Chicken. This vintag e recipe w as a staple d ur ing our p arent 's g enerat ion, and it cont inues in full force as it snat ches t he 4 t h place sp ot .

The Italian B.M.T (Big g est , Meat iest , Tast iest ) sub heaves it self int o t he r unning as Subw ay claim s t he final sp ot on t his list . A considerab ly allur ing nam e wit h an eq ually int im id at ing p rofile, as rep or ted by Brand Eat ing , t his m onstrous foot long claim s t he num b er 5 sp ot .

5 bat cit y bit es | 8

s

Likeaf inewine: How Aust in?s hist orical rest aurant s inf luence t he f ood scene t oday.

?

Th e en t r an ce t o t h e Taver n .

Ph ot o Cou r t esy of t h e Taver n Š 2018

t

t

M

t

A

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T

F

By Brian M cGowan

P

o

c Lunch (now closed ) and Top Not ch, t he vast m a jor it y of t he eat ing op t ions were food scene t hat m akes

M

Aust in so special. But , it oder n Aust in is

w asn?t alw ays like t his.

g ener ic, nat ional chains.

U

H

a

t

b Shannon Ced wick, t he

r

ow ner of The Taver n,

t

know n far and wide for it s

Many year s ag o, t he food

Est her ?s Follies and ot her

n

d iver se and delicious food .

ind ustr y in Aust in, just like

successful restaurant s, has

c

As t he cit y b oom s and

ever yt hing else in t he

lived in Aust in for m ore t han

constant ly g row s in size, t he

t ow n, w as sm all,

50 year s, and has seen t he

live m usic scene d raw s

underdeveloped and

food ind ustr y evolve over

m ore and m ore people int o

not hing close t o offer ing

t im e.

t he cit y, each one wit h t heir

t he flour ishing sp read of

ow n food , cust om s and

restaurant s we enjo y

cult ure. Som e of t hose

t od ay. W hile t here were a

people create

few m om and p op

estab lishm ent s and per pet uate t he d ynam ic bat cit y bit es | 9

restaurant s and litt le uniq ue places like Lib er t y

F

M

r

i ?There weren?t ver y m any

c

creat ive chefs r unning t heir

l

sm all kit chens, it w as m ore

h

b ig g er places,? Ced wick said w hen asked ab out how t he food ind ustr y w as w hen

W

h

she fir st ar r ived in Aust in. ?I?d say we were really in t here on t he g round floor, in t hat w ay.?

Many old restaurant s like t he Taver n have influenced Aust in food cult ure m assively. Or ig inal Aust in Tex-Mex restaurant s like Fond a San Mig uel and El Pat io were a lar g e influence on t he b oom ing Tex-Mex crow d we see t hese d ays.

Uniq ue restaurant s like t he Hoffb rau and Joe?s Baker y

restaurant s like Sam ?s BBQ

?

I t hink t hat t here are just some incredible chef s and cooks and good people in t his t own.

There are places I haven't even gone t o yet .

?

-Shannon Ced wick, on her favor ite p ar t of Aust in food .

and Coffee Shop g ave r ise t o t he m ult it ude of sm all b aker ies and specialt y restaurant s Aust in enjo ys t od ay, especially d ow nt ow n, near t he capit ol and t he UT cam p us.

and Franklin?s Bar b ecue.

Sam ?s has b een a b usiness p assed d ow n from fat her t o son, and w as a hist or ic East Side restaurant t hat helped p op ular ize Aust in m eat s.

Franklin?s Bar b ecue is know n far and wide as one of t he BBQ g iant s, wit h people lining up around t he b lock t o g et a taste of t he leg end ar y roast s. They p aved t he w ay for ot her BBQ restaurant s t o g et

Aust in food scene w as,

estab lished and flour ish,

Ced wick said , ?Just it ?s

and sp read across t he cit y?s

or ig inalit y. I t hink t hat

land scape.

t hey're just incred ib le cooks and chefs and g ood people in t his t ow n. There are places I haven't even

For exam ple, Fond a San

g one t o yet . There are

Mig uel has b een a hug e

som e g reat venerab le

restaurant in Aust in, and an

ones, like Fond a San

inspirat ion t o ot her aspir ing

Mig uel.?

chefs and entrep reneur s

Estab lishing a restaurant now ad ays is a lot harder t han w hat it t ook 50 year s ag o. od ay, ever y piece of Aust in real estate is w or t h it s weig ht in g old , especially t he far t her you g et d ow nt ow n, b ut b ack in

However, Tex-Mex isn?t t he

t he d ay, it cost pennies on

only g enre in Aust in BBQ is

t he d ollar t o p urchase a

ever yw here in Aust in, and

plot of land or an old

W hen asked ab out w hat

it 's p ar t ly d ue t o t he

b uild ing t o set up shop in.

her favor ite p ar t of t he

influence of hist or ic BBQ

looking t o set up a locat ion here in t he cit y.

?It 's so m uch m ore bat cit y bit es | 10

expensive,? Ced wick said . ?I

s

t hink we p ut in $10 0 on t he

e

cheap, b ut now you have t o

a

have 10 0 t o 20 0 g rand , m ayb e m ore depend ing on

A

w hat you're d oing t o your

h

place.?

r

i

A lot of t he older restaurant s

u

are m ore uniq ue b ecause of

e

how easy restaurant s were

c

t o create and how fluid and flexib le t he estab lishm ent s could b e.

Most restaurant s in Aust in have g one t hroug h som e for m of renovat ion or

Ter iyaki Por k Cup s, ser ved at t he Taver n. Phot o Cour tesy The Taver n.

anot her. Sam ?s BBQ has b ur ned d ow n t wice and

W hile it s up keep has b een p rod uct of older

b een reb uilt ever y t im e,

m aintained , t he layout has restaurant s. Taco tr ucks and

each t im e wit h m ore sp ace

b een p reser ved ever since ot her trailer food were

and b etter desig ns.

it s opening as a g rocer y

inspired by t he sm all food

st ore d ur ing W W 1, and it

stand s t hat have m oved t o

W hen a restaurant is t hat

seem s like it will stay t hat

Aust in year s ag o and

old , it ?s near im p ossib le t o

w ay indefinitely. This

p op ular ized all var iet ies?

keep it r unning wit hout

old -t im ey feel is p ar t of

fast food . The influx of

rep air, b ut t he Taver n has

t he reason it ?s such an

Tex-Mex can b e traced b ack

m anag ed t o d o so. Ever

influent ial restaurant in

t o t he or ig inal ex-Mex

since it s found ing in 1916, it

Aust in and an inspirat ion

restaurant s t hat are

has never b een sig nificant ly

t o ot her restaurant s.

renow ned for t heir uniq ue

chang ed , Ced wick cit ing her desire t o keep t he

A lot of t he t hem es in t he

restaurant 's or ig inal feel.

Aust in food scene are a

bat cit y bit es | 11

take on b ot h cuisines. The sm all coffee shop s and b aker ies g ave r ise t o t he

st ylishly t iny cafes t hat are

m aintained it s wide

r ise t o t he leg ions of food

ever yw here d ow nt ow n and

select ion of per fected

tr ucks t hat sw ar m cit y

around Aust in.

restaurant s and has

fest ivals and p ub lic places,

cult ivated an extrem ely

w hile Aust in's ow n uniq ue

uniq ue and p op ular food

BBQ keep s people com ing

cult ure enjo yed by all w ho

b ack for m ore. W it hout our

com e t o t he cit y. Old

old restaurant s, Aust in

Tex-Mex restaurant s

w ould not b e t he tast y place

inspire new w aves of

seeped wit h cult ure t hat it is

m oder n fusion, and

now.

Aust in has b een hom e t o a host of w or ld -renow ned restaurant s over t im e, and it is owed in a lar g e p ar t t o it s uniq ue, hist or ic estab lishm ent s t hat call t his cit y hom e. Aust in has

hist or ic food stand s g ive

An old p hot o of t he neon sig n in front of t he Taver n, so old t hat it ad ver t ises having A/ C. Phot o Cour tesy of t he Taver n

bat cit y bit es | 12

T

THE NEW WAVE OF FOOD:

by Sofia Francis

r

c

i

How Aust in?s g rowing food ind ustr y is cult ivat ing new culinar y niches.

a

a

a

c

Aust in?s g rowing food ind ustr y reaches new heig ht s, b ranching off int o var ious d ifferent

s

g enres and g reat ly d iver sifying our cit y.

S

This ar t icle takes a look int o how and w hy

?

Aust in?s food ind ustr y is g rowing , and w hat ?s m ost excit ing ab out it .

Phot o Cour tesy of The Peached Tor t illa, Š 20 19

Aust in, Texas.

Aust in is by far one of t he

ind ustr y, w hich has evolved

m ore d iver se food scene t o

fastest g rowing cit ies in t he

t o b ecom e m uch m ore

increase.

U.S, wit h ab out 169 people

d iver se and m oder n in just

m oving here ever y d ay,

t he p ast 10 year s.

accord ing t o t he 20 20 census. The cit y it self has show n im m ense g row t h in m any areas, includ ing t our ism , enter tainm ent and tech.

in t his? To hear a fir st -hand Much of t his g row t h can b e

per spect ive, restaurateur

attr ib uted t o t he lar g e

Er ic Silver stein, ow ner of

increase of d iver sit y Aust in

The Peached Tor t illa, talks

is seeing . More resident s

ab out creat ing uniq ue

from d ifferent reg ions have p ar t ner concep t s t o exp and slowly b een tr ickling in,

An aspect of Aust in?s

m aking t he ent iret y of

g row t h t hat is not alw ays

Aust in m ore d iver se and

hig hlig hted is our food

causing t he dem and for a

bat cit y bit es | 13

W hat are t he d r iving forces

t heir reach.

Peached Tor t illa is a J ap anese, Chinese and

Texan com for t fusion

p roven t hat t hey have an

Silver stein, it w as

restaurant . That m ay sound

ap pet ite for d ifferent t ypes

a nat ural concep t

confusing , b ut in essence,

of cuisine. Newer,

for him t o p ur sue,

it ?s sim ple. The restaurant

innovat ive t ypes of cuisine,? since his ow n child hood had

aim s t o take t he flavor s of

Silver stein said on t he

b een filled wit h fusion food ,

all t hree culinar y cult ures

exp ansion of t he Aust in

b ut for ot her s it ?s a t otally

and b lend t hem int o t heir

restaurant scene.

new concep t .

Fusion food is one of t he

Even b efore reaching Aust in,

pioneer ing m oder n food

fusion food w as g rowing in

cozy d ishes, b ecom ing som ew hat of a reflect ion of Silver stein?s child hood . ?I t hink Aust inites have

t hem es ap pear ing in Aust in p op ular it y. In Aust in, at t he m om ent . For

restaurant s such as

Phot o Cour tesy of The Peached Tor t illa, Š 20 19

Peached Tor t illa w as opened in 20 10 as a food tr uck and now has t hree restaurant concep t s across Aust in.

bat cit y bit es | 14

Chi?Lantro, Sw ay, and

and influence, and we?ve

aut hent ically incor p orate

u

Kor iente all fall under t he

der ived our food cult ure

t he tastes of his child hood ,

t

fusion food categ or y, b ut

from it .

b ut m ake it easily

o

accessib le t o t he g eneral

a

p op ulat ion of Aust in. His

d

strateg y? Incor p orate

p

classic Texan food s like

h

tacos and b ur g er s wit h t heir

r

ow n fusion t wist .

?

t hey var y in st yle. That ?s one of t he b eaut ies of fusion

Texas is an even g reater exam ple of

food .

Alt houg h t he ter m is g enerally used t o descr ib e Asian-fusion restaurant s, m any

t his. Being so

weal ways t r y t o makesur et hat t he conver sat ion can beat ar ound t hat tabl eby al ot of dif f er ent peopl e.

restaurant s can fall under t he

close t o Mexico, t heir cult ure has influenced

For t he m ost p ar t , it ?s

e

our cult ure ? w or ked ! People w ho aren?t

A

chiefly,

K

looking t o reach t oo far

Tex-Mex, one from t heir com for t zone can

c

of t he m ost

enjo y a m eal t hat plays t o

s

- Er ic Silver stein, on

p op ular food b ot h new and old tastes at

b

creating a restaurant that is accessible and diverse

t hem es in

y

ter m and sim ultaneously b e uniq ue in t heir ow n r ig ht s.

Texas, is (as t he nam e sug g est s) a com b inat ion of

Fusion is only one of m any new food concep t s p op ping

T

h

Mexican food and Texan

W hen asked ab out t he ter m

food . And yet , it ?s not

fusion, Silver stein said he

refer red t o as fusion.

t hinks fusion g et s a b ad rap.

Peached Tor t illa!

?The or ig inal restaurant ,

?If you really look b ack at

Peached Tor t illa on Bur net ,

t he hist or y of food , t he food

[ t he m enu] w as lar g ely

t hat Am er icans eat , all of it

inspired by food I kind of

is fusion,? Silver stein said . ?It g rew up eat ing as a kid ,? just m ig ht not b e descr ib ed as t hat .?

And he?s r ig ht ! Am er ica w as

Silver stein said .

Silver stein d oub led up on com for t wit h Peached

b uilt on foreig n im m ig rat ion Tor t illa. His g oal w as t o bat cit y bit es | 15

Phot o Cour tesy of The Peached Tor t illa, Š 2

Phot o Cour tesy of The Peached Tor t illa, Š 20 19

up around Aust in. In g eneral, t he p op ular izat ion of m any of t hese ?food trend s?can b e attr ib uted t o t he g rowing d iver sit y of Aust in?s p op ulat ion, b ut a lot of it has com e wit h w hat t he restaurant ind ustr y is calling ?instag ram m ab le? exper iences.

Aust in food b log g er, J ane Ko, descr ib es w hat is chang ing in t he Aust in food

weekend g etaw ays in t he

food ,? Ko said , ?It 's m ore

Aust in area.

ab out exper ience? w hat

scene. Ko has b een b log g ing for a litt le over 10

?I t hink t he d ining scene

year s now, and her b log , A

has also chang ed

Taste of Koko, cover s t he

d ram at ically in t he sense

hottest restaurant s and

of... it 's not really ab out t he

t illa, Š 20 19

d oes t he restaurant look like? Are you g onna g et a g ood p hot o, are you g onna p ost ab out it on social

Peach Tor t illa's m enu has a wide rang e of d ishes, from trad it ionally Asian, like st ir fr y, t o Texan Com for t wit h a t wist , like tacos.

bat cit y bit es | 16

Phot o

A m oderate ver sion of t his

Restaurant s t hat ser ve

is sim ilar t o Peached

classics are easy t o ret ur n

Tor t illa; a well-lit ,

t o ag ain and ag ain, unlike

well-decorated restaurant ,

som e restaurant s t hat

p aired wit h g ood -looking

ser ve m ore as an

m ed ia and b rag t o your

food t hat m akes a

exper im ental one-t im e

fr iend s??

statem ent . Their social

exper ience. St ill,

m ed ia p resence is

restaurant s t hat are

im p or tant as well. A g ood

exper im ental can succeed .

W hat ?s trend ing r ig ht now ?

Anyt hing and ever yt hing ? as long as it ?s g ood for t he p ub lic eye. The p ub lic eye, or rat her, instag ram and ot her p ost ing plat for m s.

People w ant t o p ost t heir

social m ed ia p resence, in t his d ay and

Aust inites st ill

ag e, can

People are looking f or somet hing dif f erent , somet hing excit ing.

never b e over stated .

nig ht out , and t hey w ant

?[ It star t s

t heir food t o m at ch t heir

wit h] people

?aest het ic.?This

like m yself,

transfor m at ion of ser ved

w ho are

food is b ecom ing t he

b log g er s and

- Cind y Lo, on why

center p oint for new culinar y influencer s, ad vent ures. ?It 's not even really ab out t he food anym ore. The food is m ayb e a reason w hy you w ould g o b ack. But it 's not t he reason w hy you w ould g o,? Ko said .

Rig ht now, t here?s a hug e increase in attract ive m ar ket ing strateg ies and uniq ue d ining exper iences.

w ho p ost

pop-ups are such a big deal right now.

ab out a restaurant , and t hen people w ho see m y p ost s g o, and t hen t hey p ost ab out t hat restaurant , it b ecom es a b ig deal,? Ko said .

ap p reciate t he

a

b asics, and

s

TexMex,

b

b ur g er s, b ar b ecue, pizza. And I t hink t he m ore uniq ue

m ay play t o a sm aller

crow d .? said Silver stein.

Exper im entat ion has b roug ht ab out new p henom enon? p op -up s.

You m ay have heard of t he ter m b efore, often used for

g row n and ad justed t o new

anyt hing from retail t o

cult ures and cuisines, a

ser vice w or k.

reliance on com for tab le

O

w

b

t

s

restaurant s

W hile Aust in has g reat ly

ter r it or y rem ains. bat cit y bit es | 17

?I st ill t hink t he m a jor it y of

A ?p op -up shop ?is alm ost

Pict ur t he K

Phot os Cour tesy of @atasteofkoko on Instag ram

alw ays a tem p orar y,

?Pop -up s are p op ular r ig ht

w hen asked ab out

shor t -ter m st orefront for a

now b ecause people are

p op -up s.

b usiness or event .

looking for som et hing

Oftent im es, online st ores will offer special p op -up s in b ig cit ies t o b r ing m ore tract ion t o t heir online st ore g lob ally.

d ifferent , t hey?re looking t o b e sur p r ised ,? said Cind y Lo, an event s p rofessional for t he last 18 year s and CEO of Red Velvet Event s,

In t he restaurant ind ustr y, p op -up s are hotter t han ever. They offer shor t t im e specials, cute pict ures t o b e taken, and

Pict ured : Seasonal m enu item s b eing ser ved at 10 1 by Teahaus for a lim ited t im e d ur ing t he d urat iion of t he Koko Pop -Up.

bat cit y bit es | 18

Phot os Cour tesy of Sofia Francis and @atast

Before and After : J ane's team transfor m s t he front facade of 10 1 by Teahaus t o create an attract ive p hot o-op for The Koko Pop -Up.

t

looking t o help out a local

d

These p op -up s are m eant t o said Lo.

restaurant in t his t im e of

h

b e exper ienced once. They

need .?

exp osure for t he host s.

d on?t rely on t he constant ret ur n of food ie fans, instead , t hey?re m eant t o d raw in attent ion from a wider aud ience and g et people excited . ?We?ve definitely, definitely seen an increase in interest for new, creat ive exper iences, t hing s t hat people have never seen b efore ? from our client s and from t he people w ho bat cit y bit es | 19

com e t o our event s alike,?

J ane Ko has b een d oing

A

w hat she can t o help out

?The Koko Pop -up ?is Ko?s

C

t he restaurant ind ustr y

p ar t ner p roject wit h 10 1 by

S

d ur ing hard t im es, and

Teahaus, a local Asian fusion

p

she?s even opened a

restaurant off of Air p or t

A

p op -up of her ow n.

Blvd . The p op -up aim s t o

?I'm d oing t his p op up r ig ht now wit h 10 1 Teahaus, b ecause d ur ing t he p andem ic, Asian restaurant s have b een exper iencing a lot of st ig m a,? Ko said , ?I?m

b r ing som e attent ion t o a local Asian restaurant since Asian restaurant s have b een hit especially hard d ur ing t he p andem ic. At t he t im e of t his ar t icle b eing w r itten, t hey?re st ill ser ving up nine special d ishes exclusive t o

Phot

@atasteofkoko on Instag ram

long t im e Aust in resident s. New food trend s are m ost p op ular am ong young er g enerat ions ? colleg e st udent s, t our ist s.

any g iven t im e.

Sup p or t ing local restaurant s and spend ing your m oney consciously is incred ib ly im p or tant t o keep our restaurant s alive and well!

In our q uickly g rowing cit y,

W hen you d o take t he

t he food ind ustr y is t he

op p or t unit y t o g o out and

b ackb one of a lot of

eat , t hink ab out w ho you

b usiness in Aust in. Not only

can sup p or t , and consider

d oes t he food ind ustr y

researching et hical and

attract t our ism , increase locally-sourced culinar y d iver sit y visib ilit y, and p rovide ser vices t o ot her ind ustr ies? it also t he p op -up and are open

em plo ys tens of t housand s

d ur ing reg ular b usiness

of people here in Aust in.

hour s for all t o visit !

The consum er, restaurant

Aust in?s cult classics, like Chuy?s, Uchiko and Ski Shores, rem ain incred ib ly p op ular, especially am ong Aust in?s older p op ulat ion, or

and p rod ucer s are all ver y im p or tant p ar t s of t he restaurant ind ustr y?s life cycle, and it ?s im p or tant for each t o b e successful at

op t ions.

Aust in?s restaurant scene just keep s g ett ing m ore interest ing . If you st ick around , it ?s likely you?ll g et t o see a g reat var iet y of new concep t s and never -seen-b efore exper iences, all uniq ue t o r ig ht here, in t he Hear t of Texas!

Phot o Cour tesy of The Peached Tor t illa, Š 20 19

batcit cityybit bites es|| ## bat 20

A ustin's

5

TOP

Fusion , one of t he newest food niches sp read ing across Aust in, is a delicious m ix of d ifferent cult ural flavor s. It 's m any p ossib le culinar y d irect ions m ake for uniq ue m eals t hat have never b een d one b efore!

Here is t he r und ow n on m y ver y favor ites and w hy t hey're such w onder ful places t o eat .

*Disclaim er, t his list is b ased on m y per sonal exper ience and per spect ive, not a set of cr iter ia. All of t hese restaurant s are Aust in-b ased , r un, and operated ? and awesom e places t o eat !

HAVE YOU HEARD OF

Bar peached?

Bar Peached is a b ranch of Peached Tor t illa, located in a hist or ic house in Dow nt ow n Aust in. As ow ner Er ic Silver stein said , "We really tailored t he m enu, t he concep t , t he am b iance, [ around t he locat ion and aud ience] ". It has sim ilar food t o it 's counter p ar t , Peached Tor t illa, b ut you can also find cheaper d r inks and d raft s.

FUSION RESTAURANTS By: Sofia Francis

1Peached Tor t il l a Peached Tor t illa is considered one of t he 'pioneer s' of Aust in Fusion Cuisine, as t he restaurant w as founded ab out 10 year s ag o out of a food tr uck! .Peached Tor t illa ser ves delicious fam ily-st yle m eals rem iniscent of J ap anese, Chinese, and Texan com for t food .

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Phot o Cour tesy of Peached Tor t illa

bat cit y bit es | 21

2 kor ient e

3 chi'l ant r o

Kor iente is a really well-p r iced J ap anese Korean fusion restaurant . It takes t he tastes of b ot h and com b ines t hem t o reflect classic hom e cooking w hile using healt hy and fair sourced ing red ient s. I recom m end t his for a delicious m eal in Dow nt ow n!

Chi'lantro also star ted as a food tr uck! They ser ve a com b inat ion of Mexican and Korean b ar b ecue. They've b een feat ured on Shar k Tank, and as Eater Aust in rep or ted , "Ow ner J ae Kim is... alread y w or king on t w o new restaurant locat ions," so t here m ay just b e one near you!

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Phot o Cour tesy of Yelp

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Phot o Cour tesy of Eater Aust in

4 Revue

5 sway

Revue is a hig h-end restaurant located inside of t he Fair m ont , in Dow nt ow n Aust in. It 's food b order s on fusion by ser ving d ifferent cuisines, from Italian t o Chinese. The restaurant also has a really interest ing sett ing , wit h st orefront s lining t he ind oor d ining hall.

Sw ay is a Thai-fusion restaurant t hat ut ilizes t he tastes of trad it ional Thai flavor s and creates really innovat ive, reinter p reted d ishes. As Alais Peter sen of Fem ale Food ie w rote, "[ Sw ay] is a fantast ic m oder n Thai restaurant in one of t he trend iest food hub s of Aust in."

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Phot o Cour tesy of Tr ip Ad visor

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Phot o Cour tesy of Sw ay Thai

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Taxing take-out Two local rest aurant s in t he t ime of COVID

By Connor Grim here's not hing like it . I m ean, t his is a g enerat ional p rob lem we are facing . There's not hing t hat com p ares t o it ," Rob er t o Espinosa, ow ner of t he p op ular Tex-Mex restaurant Tacodeli, said . W it h record unem plo ym ent , b usinesses g oing out of b usiness or closing tem p orar ily left and r ig ht , and people's w ay of life chang ing across t he w or ld , he's r ig ht .

COVID-19 chang ed t he w or ld as we knew it , and ever yone is str ug g ling wit h it .

"t

m ig ht com e along since t he Swine Flu in 20 0 9.

Many exper t s had said t hat we were overd ue for a p andem ic, and he w as concer ned t hat if one occur red , it w ould heavily im p act Texas French Bread and life as he knew it .

W hile he w as w or r ied

?

I t hought... if t her e's abad il l ness out t her e t hat is widely communicabl et hat woul d mean peopl e woul d beaf r aid t o go out and eat.

?

Espinosa and Mur p h W illcott are b ot h Aust inites w ho ow n restaurant s and shared t heir exper iences wit h COVID-19 and how it affected t hem and t heir b usinesses.

W illcott , t he ow ner of Texas French Bread , had b een concer ned t hat a widesp read p andem ic bat cit y bit es | 23

One of Texas French Bread 's m any select ions of wine.

Phot o p rovided by Texas French Bread .

One of Taco Deli's tacos.

Phot o p rovided by Tacodeli.

ab out people not w ant ing t o eat , it never crossed his m ind t hat t he g over nm ent m ig ht step in wit h d ining reg ulat ions. In March, he closed Texas French Bread for ab out a week. W hen he opened it b ack up, he w as for t unate enoug h t o have a lar g e out side sp ace for people t o d ine com for tab ly.

Even wit h t hat sp ace, he st ill w asn't g ett ing as m any cust om er s as he p reviously

d id .

Before t he p andem ic, a tar iff w as p ut in place on French wines, and r ig ht b efore t he tar iff w as p ut in place, W illcott

b oug ht wine from France.

These d ays he wishes he had lowered his wine invent or y instead of exp and ing it d ue t o lack of cust om er s d ur ing COVID t im es.

"It w as a g rad ual feeling our w ay int o it as m ore infor m at ion b ecam e availab le ab out how t he vir us is transm itted , com m unicated , and how p revalent it is in our area," W illcott said . bat cit y bit es | 24

It w as d ifficult for W illcott , along wit h m any ot her b usiness ow ner s, t o decide w hen and how t o open his restaurant , and it is a t hing he and ot her s st ill str ug g le wit h t od ay. In ear ly Novem b er, Texas French Bread had no ind oor d ining and only out d oor d ining in t heir g arden and pick-up order s. As it g et s colder t hey hope t o open som e of t he ind oor sp ace, b ut for now t he out d oor is enoug h.

"Dinner w as an effor t t o cap t ure m ore of our cust om er b ase and g ive people t he ab ilit y t o choose us at a d ifferent m eal per iod ," Espinosa said .At t he b eg inning of t he p andem ic, he chang ed his hour s t o include d inner, w hich w as a b ig chang e. This has b een on his m ind for a w hile, and he alw ays knew it w as a p ossib ilit y. Espinosa chose t o w ait unt il he needed t o open d ur ing d inner t o d o so.

Once he has opened for d inner hour s, he d oes not plan t o g o b ack once t he p andem ic is over. W hile t he p andem ic w as a b ig m ess for ever yone, t his seem s t o b e a for t unate t hing t hat cam e out of it for Espinosa and Tacodeli.

"I'd alread y b een open for t w o year s w hen 9/ 11 t ook place, Espinoza said , ?And I bat cit y bit es | 25

m ean, t hat w as financially taxing , b ut not hing like t his."

said .

If a young b usiness is str ug g ling in t he p andem ic, 9/ 11 w as a trag ic t im e, b ut a w het her it is a restaurant or b ig d ifference w as t hat not , it m ig ht need a g ood b ack t hen, people w anted op p or t unit y t o g et b ack on t o b e t og et her, w hereas it s feet . That op p or t unit y is now, people are scared t o m ore likely t han not t o b e wit h ot her s. com e from a b ig g er b usiness t hat can for m a At t he b eg inning of t he relat ionship wit h t he sm aller p andem ic, som e b usiness b usiness. A constr uct ion ow ner s m ig ht have com p any m ig ht need a com p ared it t o t he financial place t o g et w ood and new losses of 9/ 11, b ut after 8 t ools, and any sor t of m ont hs of COVID, it has b usiness m ig ht w ant a place taken a m uch b ig g er t oll. t hat t hey can rely on t o feed t heir em plo yees lunch.

"The opt imism has t o be t here wit h a heavy dose of realit y," -Rob er t o Espinosa In ot her w ord s, Espinosa ad vises young b usinesses t o keep t heir head up, b ut not lose sig ht of realit y. If a b usiness is in a place w here it can p rovide t hat safe nor m alcy t hat people are w ant ing d ur ing t his p andem ic, it is p rob ab ly in a g ood place.

"I also t hink t hat for a lot of people t hose op p or t unit ies are g oing t o com e in t he for m of sup p or t roles t o lar g er b usinesses," W illcott

"I w as really skep t ical t hat we could sup p or t t he num b er of m ob ile food b usinesses t hat were p op ping up t he last few year s. But any place w here people can eat out side and lim it t he am ount of contact t hat t hey have wit h ot her g er m b ear ing hum ans is g onna b e an op p or t unit y," W illcott said .

W hile t he p andem ic hasn't b een g ood for restaurant s, it has b een g ood for food tr ucks b ecause t hey p rovide a q uick and relat ively safe w ay t o pick up food and g et g oing . Food tr uck lot s have b ecom e m ore p op ular and now it seem s like food tr ucks can t hr ive in t he Aust in m ar ket , w hereas p reviously t here w as a

q w t t a s w t t f

r t o

Hence t he nam e, Texas French Bread has a b aker y along wit h t he restaurant . Phot o p rovided by Texas French Bread .

q uest ion as t o how t hey w ould d o. W it h t he food tr ucks d oing well, t he food tr uck p ar king lot s are b usier at t im es. Many colleg e st udent s are hang ing out wit h t heir fr iend s by food tr ucks b ecause it is one of t he few safe w ays t o g et food wit h t heir fr iend s.

Along wit h t his, m any restaurant s have b een ab le t o g reat ly exp and t heir online order ing system ,

w hich will p rove useful even after t he p andem ic if people w ant t o g rab som et hing t o eat q uickly.

W hile t he p andem ic w on't last forever, som e of t he d ining chang es m ay have last ing effect s. It m ig ht b e d ifficult for som e people t o g et b ack int o t he d ining rout ine after not g oing out

t o eat for so long . Take-out will p rob ab ly rem ain extrem ely p op ular for a long t im e.

COVID-19 has d ram at ically altered t he state of t he w or ld , and m any local restaurant s are str ug g ling t o keep up wit h t hose chang es.

bat cit y bit es | 26

Benef it s of apl ant based diet

By Connor Gr im

How eat ing a plant based diet or part ially plant based diet can help t he environment and help you.

car bon emissions f r oml ivest ock Livest ock account s for ab out 14 % of t he w or ld 's car b on em issions, ab out 2/ 3rd s of t hat are from catt le alone.

(Infor m at ion p rovided by Inside Clim ate New s)

It is m uch m ore w ater efficient t o have a plant b ased d iet or lar g ely plant b ased d iet . The Im p ossib le Bur g er has an 89% sm aller car b on foot p r int t han a b eef b ur g er, used 96% less land , and contam inates 92% less w ater. Overall, it uses 87% less w ater. All of t hese fact or s are hug e for t he environm ent ? (infor m at ion p rovided by Vander b ilt Univer sit y)

Wat er ef f iciency in meat vs ar t if icial meat

bat cit y bit es | 27

Researcher s at Oxford Univer sit y found t hat cutt ing out m eat and d air y from your d iet can red uce your car b on foot p r int by 73% (Infor m at ion p rovided by Independent )

r educeyour car bon f oot pr int

Lower your r isks of healt h issues Plant b ased d iet s can help lower your b lood p ressure, m inim ize your r isk of stroke, and m ig ht decrease cancer r isk. (Infor m at ion p rovided by Ever yd ay Healt h)

At hl et es and pl ant based diet s Som e at hletes have recent ly transit ioned t o a plant b ased d iet b ecause it can help wit h q uick recover y. It d oes t his t hroug h decreasing inflam m at ion and increasing b lood flow.(Infor m at ion p rovided by US New s Healt h)

bat cit y bit es | 28

Amer ican Food Today: Two l ocal r estaur ant s shar et heir t hought s on t he ever changing cult ur eThat is Amer ican Food

By M ichael Addison

Photo Courtsey of Pixbay

You are sitt ing at P. Ter r y?s enjo ying a delicious ham b ur g er. You b eg in t o not ice t hat it tastes d ifferent from a reg ular ham b ur g er t hat you m ig ht b uy at one of t he restaurant s on t he side of a hig hw ay. There is just som et hing ab out it t hat stand s out .

Patr ick Ter r y star ted P. Ter r y?s in 20 0 5, in a sm all locat ion near Bar t on Sp r ing s, Aust in. He had alw ays w anted t o star t a b ur g er joint since he w as bat cit y bit es | 29

young , b ut w hen his wife, Kat hy, read t he b ook ?Fast Food Nat ion,? he decided he w as g oing t o take t he trad it ional b ur g er restaurant t o t he next level in ter m s of q ualit y.

Califor nia,? Ter r y said . ?I d on't know if it w as just in our im ag inat ion or if it really hap pened , b ut we, we felt like t he q ualit y of t he m eat w as som et hing t hat we could taste, it w as just super ior t o ot her g round b eef out t here? it ?Before we opened we allowed us just t o kind of ran across a sup plier out raise t he level of of Califor nia t hat sold all ever yt hing we were g oing nat ural b eef t hat w as t o tr y and d o.? hor m one-free, ant ib iot ic-free, and For a long t im e, fast food veg etar ian fed . And we has com m only b een ver y g ot a sam ple of t hat unhealt hy, and q uite low air -ship ped t o us from q ualit y. Ter r y aim s t o

chang e t hat .

" t heemphasis on your

?We're just looking t o raise t he b ar, our b uns have no hig h fr uct ose cor n syr up in t hem , or any p reser vat ives,? Ter r y said . ?Our chicken is all nat ural.

Our b acon is all nat ural, our sausag e and ham for our b reakfast m enu is all nat ural, our eg g s are cag e free, we just went from one t hing t o t he next . And frankly, it 's just not d one in t he fast food categ or y wit h our p r icing .

But we d id it anyw ay.?

business shoul d bein taking car eof t he cust omer . And doing t hebest j ob you can, and al l owing t he success t o f ol l ow,"

Ter r y said he d id n?t expect his restaurant t o b e as successful as it is t od ay.

?The only t hing I w as hoping t o d o w as t o open m ore t han one restaurant .

And t hat 's all I knew,?

Ter r y said ?I went int o t he -Pat r ick Ter r y on Success fir st locat ion in Bar t on Sp r ing s, wit h t he hope of t hink m ade us special.

And t hat 's t he b asis for it . opening up at least one m ore. And t hat w as m y So we're really p roud of w hat we've achieved . It 's only g oal.? b een 15 year s and we Opening a sm all b usiness have 19 st ores. So far, so can b e d ifficult , b ut can g ood , r ig ht ? We're in a p ay off. P. Ter r y?s has p rett y g ood place r ig ht He realized t hat he w as g row n t o b e w hat is now.? Ter r y said . taking a lar g e r isk, b ut p rob ab ly t he m ost iconic one t hat could chang e t he Aust in b ur g er restaurant .

Phot o Cour tesy of P. neg at ive st ig m a ag ainst Not all b usinesses are Ter r y's 20 19 fast food . Many local successful, however. b usinesses m ake an effor t ?W hat hap pens is a lot of t o b e healt hy, b ut are st ill people m ake t he m istake d isap p roved of d ue t o t he of looking at a b usiness as t ype of food t hey ser ve. an op p or t unit y t o g et Luckily for Ter r y, it r ich...t he em p hasis on w or ked . your b usiness should b e in taking care of t he ?We ended up offer ing a cust om er. And d oing t he q ualit y and a value t hat , b est job you can, and frankly t o t his d ay, allowing t he success t o nob od y else d oes for t he follow,? Ter r y said . p r ice we char g e. That 's kind of b een w hat 's m ade Ter r y explained t hat t he us d ifferent , and w hat we m ost im p or tant t hing in bat cit y bit es | 30

Phot o Cour tesy of Michael Ad d ison Even t houg h it 's d ining room m ay b e closed , P. Ter r y's is st ill g oing strong d ue t o it 's d r ive-t hr u.

"You havet o f igur e it out. That 's business no mat t er wher eyou'r eat " -Br ian Cooney on Pr obl ems in business his b usiness is alw ays keeping his em plo yees and cust om er s in m ind . ?The em p hasis on your b usiness should b e in taking care of t he cust om er? If you have em plo yees, you m ake sure you take care of t hem . Because you can't bat cit y bit es | 31

d o t his all by your self, in m ost cases, and you've g ot people t hat are w or king wit h you, and you need t hem t o succeed . How you treat t hem will really deter m ine how t hey will treat t he cust om er w hen you're not around . They have t o feel like t hey have your respect .? Ter r y said .

Anot her sm all Am er ican food b usiness b ased in Aust in is Oakm ont Food Com p any. Br ian Cooney recent ly star ted it wit h

his wife Bet sy, and so far it has p roven t o b e fair ly p op ular. Oakm ont offer s salad s, avocad o t oast , and ot her m ore m oder n Am er ican food s. Oakm ont is located in d ow nt ow n Aust in, a shor t d istance aw ay from w here m any people are w or king .

Accord ing t o Cooney, t he w or ld is b ecom ing m ore focused on eat ing healt hy. ?People b ecom e b ig g er food cr it ics,? Cooney said .

He decided t o star t Oakm ont t o cater t o t hat

need for healt hier food .

He has had exper ience in sm all b usinesses b efore, and he decided t hat a healt hy, Am er ican Food b usiness w as t he w ay t o g o.

W hile m any sm all b usinesses have closed d ur ing COVID-19, Oakm ont is st ill hang ing in t here. ?It 's an iconic locat ion here in Aust in,? Cooney

said .

However, Oakm ont isn?t com pletely im m une t o t hese chang es t hat we have seen affect ing m any sm all b usinesses.

m atter w here you're at ,?

Cooney said .

Cooney said , ? If you're looking t o b e an entrep reneur in anyt hing , you should star t young er.

And t he b ig g est t hing Cooney said , ?It 's t ur ned t hat I w ould say t o you is ever yt hing up side d ow n.? em b race your failures.

Because you have t o fail One t hing t hat has t o b e ab le t o g row and helped Oakm ont is lear n. But t he t hing you per severance. g ot t o g et com for tab le ?You have t o fig ure it out . wit h is screwing up and That 's b usiness no we d on't let people d o t hat . So t o b e g ood at som et hing you have t o g o out and tr y and fail and tr y and fail and lear n your lessons from t hat .? ?

Bot h b usinesses ser ve d ifferent food s, b ut t hey b ot h cap t ure t he iconic feel of Am er ican food . In t he fut ure, we m ay see m any m ore Am er ican food restaurant s p op up in t he interest ing and am azing ly uniq ue cit y t hat is Aust in, Texas.

Phot o Cour tesy of Michael Ad d ison

Oakm ont Food Com p any is sit uated in d ow nt ow n Aust in, close t o w here m any Aust inites w or k. bat cit y bit es | 32

American Food Over Time Am er ican food can b e hard t o define d ue t o our countr ies m ixing of m any cult ures and food s, b ut over t he year s, lot s of t hing s have b een g iven t he t it le of "Am er ican Food ". Here is a look at som e of t he p oint s in hist or y w here Am er ican Food really st ood out .

By M ichael A ddison

Diet Sod a Diet Sod a w as fir st created in t he 50 's, d ue

Im ag e Cour tesy of Am y Oztan

t o people b ecom ing

C

w or r ied ab out t he sug ar

6

content of p op ular sod as.

s

Source: Taste Of Hom e

1950's

1930's Kraft Mac' and Cheese Kraft Mac and Cheese w as fir st sold in t he 30 's d ur ing t he Great Dep ression. It w as ad ver t ised as a q uick, easy-t o-use p rod uct , and is st ill incred ib ly p op ular t od ay.

Source - Hist or y Daily

bat cit y bit es | 33

Im ag e Cour tesy of Kir sch Beverag es

Im ag e Cour tesy of Pixb ay

Im ag e Cour tesy of Pixb ay

Pest o

Cool W hip

Pest o is a sauce m ade of

Cool W hip w as created in t he

b asil and olive oil t hat

60 's t o act as a q uick and easy

Am er ica d iscovered in t he

sub st it ute for w hip ped cream .

80 's, and loved it !

1960's

1980's 1970's Hap py Meal The Hap py Meal w as invented in 1979 t o cater t ow ard s child ren, wit h a b ur g er, fr ies, and a t o y all in a b ox. The Hap py Meal is st ill incred ib ly p op ular t od ay.

Im ag e Cour tesy of Pixb ay

Source: The Insider

bat cit y bit es | 34

6

Fun Recipes t o Ease your Boredom

By Sarah Gallar t

2 Dumplings!

Dum pling s are especially fun t o m ake wit h your fr iend and fam ily since t hey req uire all hand s on deck.

1M ug Cake A recipe per fect for a lazy cook. It is fast , easy and ab solutely delicious.

3 Homemade Pasta These are a b it harder t o m ake, b ut if you are up for t he challeng e, you can end up wit h a b eaut iful creat ion t hat will im p ress you and your fam ily!

bat cit y bit es | 35

4 Cookies The classic m ust -d o, b acking cookies is a fun act ivit y you can d o alone or wit h a fr iend . They are per fect for a cool Aust in nig ht .

5 Pizza Alt houg h a b it p at ience is req uired , pizza is one of t he m ost inclusive m eals you can m ake. It can b e sweet and salt y and can easily b e shared .

6 Churros They are a sweet snack t hat can b e eaten wit h fr uit s, ice cream , caram el and m uch m ore. They are easy t o m ake and t otally w or t h t he effor t .

bat cit y bit es | 36

Food f or t he body is not enough.

Ther emust be f ood f or t he soul .

- Dorot hy Day

Issue 1, Fall Ezine 20 20

From fast food t o fine d ining , Bat Cit y Bites out lines m any p ar t s of t he Aust in food scene. In t his m ag azine, you can find p op ular d ishes and favor ite restaurant s, b ut also lear n ab out food p rot ocols and t he ad vantag es of g oing m eat free. Our p ub licat ion cover s a wide var iet y of sub ject s so you can sam ple excit ing t hing s from all around t ow n, just like t he Aust in restaurant ind ustr y it self. We hope you enjo y t his issue!

Michael Ad d ison, Sarah Gallar t , Connor Gr im , Sofia Francis, and Br ian McGow an